Corporate DNA and Business Expansion

i am a strong believer in corporate DNA.  so what is corporate DNA; it is the essence of your business; the organizational culture and strategy.

Corporate DNA includes;

• mission
• vision
• personal and professional values
• key company goals
• strategy
• structure
• core competencies
• core capabilities
• core processes
• roles and responsibilities
• unwritten rules
• decision rights
• professional hiring criteria
• career models
• motivating factors
• knowledge management/information access

yes that's a huge list and not something that most small to mid-size companies want to address. yet in the longer term ignoring your corporate DNA is the most common cause of small to mid-business failure that i see in my consulting practice.  

you might say that the above list just gets in the way of doing real work, but the truth is that sooner or later the real work will fail for a significant client without addressing these components of the soul of your company, the corporate DNA.

i have spoken to a number of companies lately that are surviving or even thriving in Charleston.  with success seemingly in their pocket they set their eyes on broader, more lucrative geographic areas, such as other cities or states.   if the corporate DNA is well defined, this expansion may well be warranted and successful. without clear and well defined corporate DNA, the risk is extremely high and crisis may very well be starring you in the eyes.

so i ask, what is the condition of your corporate DNA?